Enfocus announces the Enfocus Appstore, a co-creation platform bringing developers and users together boosting the user experience and maximising their investment in Switch technology. It will enable Switch users around the world to instantly purchase and use apps created by other Switch users. Available with the release of Switch 13 update 1, the Enfocus Appstore is an extension of the company’s commitment to openness and collaboration with their customers and partners. This co-creation platform gives developers a place to share their knowledge and work with the global Switch Community. The Enfocus Appstore will be showcased at FESPA Digital 2016 and drupa 2016.
The Switch Community is comprised of Switch specialists, including users, integrators and Channel Partners, from around the globe. Over the years, The Switch User Community has grown, and their knowledge is now shared in various mediums, including the Enfocus Users’ Forum and the Official Switch User LinkedIn Group.
"The value of the shared knowledge that our Switch User Community brings to this product inspired us to think differently. We asked: ‘What if we could create a way to extend the benefits of this collective information and share it with the larger Enfocus Community?’ The result of this effort is the Enfocus Appstore, a global marketplace where Switch Specialists can buy and sell applications that improve how they use the product, and ultimately, how they run their operations."
Bjorn Willems, Director of Product Management, Enfocus
Developing the apps
At the Enfocus Appstore, users can access applications that were developed by the Switch User Community around the world. Users can view information for each available app, including details about the app, compatibility and version information, the name of the creator, screenshots, and a link to the support offered by the creator. If a user is interested in an app, he or she can download it and try it free for one month. If he or she likes the application, it can be purchased on a subscription basis.
In general, apps will be developed and contributed by third parties. An example is the WeTransfer App that was developed by Apago, an official Switch Integrator, to download large files sent by WeTransfer automatically.
Bjorn Willems continues, “The Enfocus Appstore will initially include apps for Enfocus Switch. The possibilities are only limited by our users’ imagination and resources, so I am confident that the Enfocus Appstore will rapidly be growing and flourishing.”
Working with Enfocus Apps
Switch users can easily access the Enfocus Appstore directly from within their Switch or by visiting https://appstore.enfocus.com.
Additional improvements to Switch
In addition to the Enfocus Appstore, Switch 13 update 1 also includes these new improvements:
- To ensure a better user experience, tooltips are added to the Web messages user interface for icons like Wrap Text, Clear Filters and Export log. In addition, headers of the columns of the Web messages are now fixed which ensures the overview is kept.
- Different Submit Hierarchy flow elements can now point (partly) to the same paths as required. This may be necessary in case of very complex workflows.
Configurators
- New Configurator from Tilia Labs:
- Phoenix – This is an imposition and planning solution designed for a wide range of work including packaging, labels, cards, tags, wide-format, and commercial.
- Updated Configurators from the following partners:
Switch 13 update 1 supports Mac OS® X 10.11 (El Capitan).
On a final note, Bjorn Willems adds: “We’ve been investing heavily in our user community, which has given us so much valuable information to strengthen our product portfolio. That’s why we launched the Enfocus blog to inform our users on what is keeping us on our toes. And we’re continuously striving to offer the best product, in the most agile way possible. Switch 13 update 1 incorporates the latest requests from its users; the Enfocus Appstore is the frosting on the cake. We look forward to hosting demonstrations at the key shows this year.”
